Tensions flared up in Ghana’s Parliament on Tuesday as a dispute over the status of the Kpandai constituency seat turned into chaos, with opposition lawmakers forcing their way into the well of the chamber and halting proceedings amid scenes of shouting and near physical confrontation.
The disruption followed the Speaker’s decision to proceed with business after treating the Kpandai seat as vacant, despite objections from the Minority. While the chamber descended into disorder, the Majority pressed ahead and secured approval of the 2026 Budget allocation reports.
Clad in black to symbolize what they described as the death of “parliamentary democracy,” Minority MPs abandoned their seats and converged at the centre of the House, chanting and hoisting placards. Their protest triggered a matching advance from the Majority side, turning the floor into a packed standoff of raised voices and accusatory gestures until parliamentary marshals intervened to restore a fragile calm.
Earlier, Speaker Alban Bagbin had postponed a detailed ruling on the legality of the vacancy declaration but instructed that parliamentary work continue following a voice vote. The Minority rejected that directive outright, escalating their protest to the point where the Speaker’s voice was repeatedly drowned out.
Amid the uproar, NDC MPs methodically occupied the clerks’ table and began presenting the winnowing committee reports on budget allocations for ministries, departments and agencies. Each report was swiftly seconded by the Majority and adopted by voice vote, as opposition chants continued to fill the chamber.
At the heart of the standoff is a December 4, 2025, letter from the Clerk of Parliament to the Electoral Commission, declaring the Kpandai seat vacant after a High Court ordered a rerun of the election. Minority MPs argue the matter remains before the courts, with appeals pending at both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and accuse the Speaker of moving ahead while the case is still sub judice.
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga refused to back down during the turmoil. “We will not be distracted,” he said, accusing the Minority of “pretending to be democrats” while intentionally stalling parliamentary work to block decisions they oppose.
Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh Dompreh responded by warning that no government business should proceed until the Kpandai dispute is resolved, signalling the opposition’s readiness to prolong its resistance.
Following the controversial adoption of the reports, Speaker Bagbin abruptly adjourned the House, pushing the unresolved tensions into Wednesday’s sitting and casting uncertainty over the next stage of the budget process.
Addressing journalists after the session, First Deputy Minority Whip Habib Iddrisu reportedly condemned the events as embarrassing. “As far as we are concerned, no government business took place today,” he said, adding that the Minority would “advise ourselves” ahead of Parliament’s next meeting.
